Fatigue

On your way to the 10,000 hours ;-) you might encounter an unexpected obstacle: as soon as you have come to the point where you have your end in view and decided to get up a bit earlier an unbelievable fatigue will overcome you!

It’s unfair, I admit :-) but on one hand this is at some point true for everybody and on the other hand it just shows that there is an imbalance of input, process and output.

So, if you are sometimes / often / most of the times (!) tired, go through the following checklist and apply some of the suggestions:

A Input

• Do you eat enough? If the answer is no or I don’t know, eat more! But be careful: too much food won’t give you more vitality but will make you only obese / slow / heavy ;-) and finally… even more tired.
• Is your diet balanced and rich in variety? Do you get all you need from the food you eat? Try to minimise / exclude food that is industrially processed and eat instead more fresh and simple food.
• Too much input will not only cause disturbance on your plate but also on the mental level: that goes from phone calls to tasks that are stressful in the sense of responsibility or emotional involvement. In that case try to delegate these tasks and give yourself regularly or at least once in a while some rest / yoga / meditation.
• What kind of music do you listen to? If your music is too agitating or even puts you in a state of depression, replace it by something inducing power, optimism and love for life! Don’t tell me now that you don’t like this kind of music ;-) Make a test; check out how you will feel after listening for a while to the new music!
• Do you practise yoga? If not (or not enough), it is high time you get started (again)! Yoga will give you access to new and regenerating energies!
• Do you spend sufficient time outdoors? In addition, by spending time in nature you will get new impulses!

B Process

• Do you sleep well? I don’t ask whether you sleep sufficiently as this can be quite individual but regenerating sleep is essential for everyone. Practise more Shavasana before you go to sleep. And apply Yoga Nidra!
• Check your prevailing thoughts! Don’t let negative thoughts destroy your day-to-day life.
• Do you get angry very often? If so, meditate more often… and do even more Shavasana.
• Boost you inner fire by means of Uddiyana Bandha, Nauli Kriya and Pranayama!
• What about periodical cleansing? Cleansing in the meaning of physical as well as mental (think of Shatkarma ;-)). Every type of dirt, either physical or mental, is baggage you carry around and which will make you tired. Therefore, apply the Shatkarma-techniques regularly as dirt accumulates all the time, regardless of having or not yet having internalised the necessity of periodical cleansing.

C Output

• Do you endeavour to do too much (physically, mentally, emotionally)? If that what you do is exhausting either because you have to do it or you want to do it (you masochist ;-), reduce your efforts.
• Do you make enough physical efforts? Even if this sounds strange: a lack of physical activity leads to tiredness. A well proportioned amount of physical activity keeps you fit – walk/ run/ cycle outdoors, not indoors, so that you will not only move more but also spend more time outside, in nature (see also above)
• Do you do something you really like? Something you enjoy and that makes you forget the time? Perfect, do it more often ;-)!

Please see also this article- a lot of things have been said before but some others havn't!

Technorati Tags: hints

Fancy more time?

In order habe the time to do all the things you want to do & to eventually get to the 10,000 hours, 2 advices:

• First of all use the already existing time frames even if they are sort of small. That means: do yoga whenever you can! Whenever you sit and it is possible sit in a yoga posture. Breathe consciously when you remember it! Do Trataka whenever the opportunity comes up / in waiting periods. And meditate in the same way! The minutes you gain will sum up to more practice time and - even more important- will help you to become more aware of how to handle your time and your goals. And that's the point!

• Secondly: get up earlier! Otherwise you miss one of the most beautiful and most silent times of the day! You don't have to start tomorrow getting up at 4 am, a few minutes earlier than usual will do for the time being and they will bring you - again important - a different inner attitude.

Technorati Tags: hints

10.000 hours - the limit to amateurism

Some time ago I read an article in which two Aikido-Masters were being compared. I don’t have it to hand anymore so that I cannot quote names and numbers but that should not harm the message of the article.

The article was to compare the effective training-hours of the two Aikido-Masters. Hence the hours on the mat were summed up.

For the first master, an American ( I think?!), they calculated at minimum 10 hours per week. He had been practising 2-3 days for approximately 5-6 hours.

For the second one, a Japanese (I am absolutely sure about it :-), who literally lived in the Dojo, they came to a total of at least 70 hours per week. He had been exercising 7 days a week for ca. 10 hours. As a matter of fact, compared to the American master, the Japanese master had the lead.

Assuming that they had had the same exit criteria, the first Aikido master would have had to live at least 6 more lives ;-) than the other - on the understanding that the Japanese master would change his life style and start being interested in let’s say Origami or Ikebana instead of Aikido ;-) - to come to the Japanese master’s level of experience.

Aside from sense and non-sense of such comparisons one question is arising which indeed could be asked for yoga practice as well: when is enough enough? When is the magical threshold reached, when will I have gained so much experience that a real profound change of my life will take place? When will I become a real professional instead of a mere contributor to the club’s fee?

In his book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell is exploring this question. In an elaborately documented research he relativises the frequently quoted argument of Talent / Gift / Calling and demonstrates that it is nearly almost (always?!) a mixture of a well chosen moment, ambition, passion and, finally, work, i.e. effective hours on the mat :-). And this is what Bill Joy (one of the founders of Sun Microsystems), The Beatles and Bill Gates - to name just a few of who have been examined carefully in the Outliers book - have in common.

The right instant of time is probably difficult to control and the same goes for our interests which are (partly!) out of our conscious influence.

But what definitely lies in our hands is the amount of work which we put into what is near and dear to us.

Thus, it is as simple as that: if you are really interested in something, do it as intensively as you can! That alone brings the experience and in the end mastership! Nowadays it is not necessarily wisdom that gives a head start to the masters (even if some masters under the pretense of tradition hinder the transfer of knowledge in order to create and maintain artificially established power structures or just to get - nothing else than financial - privileges!), but it still is the 10.000 hours-effort which not everybody is prepared to sacrifice for something. 10.000 hours in which you practise, sweat and try to make go until you finally have internalised and adopted what you wanted to learn.

Conclusion here: if you want something different from what you experience today, do something different - and do it as intensively as possible and more often than once a week :-) - from what you have done so far! Don’t blame your lack of talent ;-), but recognise your chance and go for it!

Look at Michael Jordan’s Maybe it’s my fault and stop looking for reasons! Just get started!

Technorati Tags: Aikido

Awareness

In the light of recent events I would like to remind you of some of the advantages of yoga.

How do you benefit from doing yoga? We’ve had that one before, haven’t we? Health, emotional balance, … But there are things which are to be found rather on the meta-level and one of which is today's subject: to be aware of yourself.

In which way can this be achieved by yoga?
On starting practicing the asanas I have to learn how to feel myself or my body so that, eventually, I will know how long/far/intense I can practise a posture or a technique. If it hurts, surely I can grit my teeth and continue but it’s for no good.

To say it with David Coulters words:

Honor the suggestions of pain

Do you honor or ignore messages from aches and pains? If you have back pain, do you adjust your posture and activities to minimize it, or do you just tough it out? And do you keep a deferential eye on your body, or do you find that you get so wrapped up in some challenge that you forget about it? If you do not listen to messages from your body you will be a candidate for pulled muscles, tendinitis, pinched nerves, and ruptured intervertebral disks. To avoid injury in hatha yoga you have to develop a self-respecting awareness.
Begin your program of hatha yoga with a resolution to avoid pain. Unless you have had years of experience and know exactly what you are doing, pushing yourself into a painful stretch will not only court injury, it will also create a state of fear and anxiety, and your nervous system will store those memories and twart your efforts to recreate the posture. Pains is a gift; it tells us that some problem has developed. Analyze the nature of the problem instead of pushing ahead mindlessly. With self-awareness and the guidance of a competent teacher, you can do other postures that circumvent the difficulty.

David H. Coulter - Anatomy of Hatha Yoga

Pain protects us from accidents so much is obvious - but still sometimes they happen!
When do they happen?
Irrespective of the reasons, they happen whenever I am not 100% attentive, not totally concentrated, not being aware of myself! Whenever the connection to myself is somehow interrupted and my attention isn't set enterily on me.

In time you learn - only a few days/weeks/months (some need years!) and torn muscles (learning the hard way!) later we become more attentive, more sensitive and more concentrated. Pain is a good teacher! :-/

I.E. explicitly, there always has to be a second instance of me, running in the background, which is constantly questioning: How do I feel right now? How does that feel now? And how does that feel compared to a second ago?

In my opinion this is one of the most important things we can learn from yoga (maybe even the thing). Every yoga practitioner should at least learn: how to be aware of one self and how to get a feeling for oneself. Make sure you always have a state to compare from, a state zero - a reference and the ability to improve the current state. All this tells me how I actually feel today and how far I can go today - in my yoga practice and my relation-ship, my work etc.

Finally take a look at this article by Mark Foster - a completely different view but quite interesting!

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Trataka

To keep your end in view at all times can and must be learned by means of Trataka which is the appropiate technique to do this.

Trataka means continuous gazing in Sanskrit and is one of the most important and simplest concentration exercises in yoga. Practising Trataka thus implies constant gazing at an object without closing your eyes or blinking in the meantime.

You need an object - your concentration object!

The chosen object should be simple and you should feel a spontaneous attraction towards it. The list for possible concentration objects has no limits - here are only some propositions: a black point, the sun (but please only at sunrise or sunset when the sun is still red and its light intensity on a low level), the sky, your own reflection in the mirror, somebody's eye, the darkness, the moon's reflexion in water, a crystal, a button, the picture of a beloved person, the flame of a candle...

Choose your concentration object with care and then stick to it!

Doing Trataka demands in the first place to fixate your concentration object in a relaxed and steady way. You focus completely on your object of concentration. If you notice your thoughts flying away or you are losing yourself in daydreams, turn back gently to your concentration object. If there is the slightest feeling of discomfort close your eyes immediately and stay like this for a while. Then open your eyes and repeat the exercise.

As soon as this exercise is easy to master, go to the next phase: combine the external concentration with visualisation. For that, close your eyes and concentrate on the negative image which is mostly perceptible the second you close your eyes. Or imagine the image of your concentration object like you have seen it just before. The image might appear only vaguely at the beginning but keep on practising and it will improve. The image will appear and after a while disappear - then you bring it back and it will disappear again. This will go on for a while until no image at all will be perceptible. Then open your eyes anew and start over again.

The intensification of this is to concentrate on a non-existing object. So you begin with your eyes closed and draw in (in your inner eye) the image of our concentration object - without fixating it with your open eyes in between. By practising this technique your are not only training your power of concentration but also your ability to visualise. Implicitly you improve your memory. And as a consequence your draw nearer to our original idea: keep your end in view!

What exactly does it mean to keep the end in view? How does it work?

First of all you have to have found a goal.
What do you wish for? What do you want to achieve? And above all: how do your formulate your goal?

Here the basic knowledge of goal formulation:

1.- Define your aim in a concrete an precise way. Resolve all possible W-questions in this context (e.g. clarify what you need for it and / or set a dead line for the realisation of your target if possible etc.)

2.- Pay attention to the words in the formulation of your aim: avoid all kind of comparisons and use exclusively positive wording!

3.- Do the eco-check: what are the consequences for you and others if you reach your goal?

4.- Is your goal realistic?

5.- Is your aim really desirable? Is this your heart's desire? Are you really behind it or are there inner objections?

6.- Does the realisation of the goal depend only on you?

7.- Can you measure a progress in the achievement of your goal? If possible define your goal in milestones.

Use the seven points above as a check list after you have found your aim.

And now that you have found and formulated your goal visualise yourself immediately after the achievement of your goal.

Imagine the situation as vividly as possible, project yourself right into the moment of realisation of the desired situation and try to feel the actual situation, e.g. hear the sound which accompanies this moment

• let all your senses be part of this, sink into your goal… and all the things you notice in this very moment (= the things you might see, hear, feel, smell, taste), this is the object of concentration which by means of Trataka are to be brought back and to be kept in front of your inner eye. It is of utmost importance that you focus on this vivid image and not on the way of how to get there - as there is not just one way to skin a cat.

And now, go right ahead: what is your first aim?

Technorati Tags: goal, Trataka, visualisation

Focus!

Know your enemy and yourself and you don‘t have to fear the outcome of 100 battles. - Sun Tzu The art of war

Today I want to talk about one of our most dangerous enemies: diversion.

Do you recognise this too? You get up with élan (let‘s do big things) and... in the evening you find yourself being tired, entangled in thousand small things, which were all sooo urgent and sooo demanding to be done (or which were just attracting ;-) and which in the end only distract you from your main target?

Emails which need to be checked, the phone call which took longer than expected, the little time you spent on television (One has to be informed!) or only five minutes Doctor‘s Diary (or rather Doctor‘s diarrhoe ;-)?), a short chat with the neighbour, the prolonged coffee brake with a colleague, the interesting headline in the magazine lying open on the table... and the day is over again, your motivation of this morning history and your great plans have to wait (again) for tomorrow.

How many of your targets survive the daily haze?
How many do shine through the dust of oblivion?

And now I am not only talking about yoga related targets but also about commonplace topics!

The solution: focus!

What does that mean? What kind of processes are behind this martially sounding noun? The following 5 steps:

1.- First of all make a list of all your options! List everything what is on your mind right now.

2.- Important: chose only one thing!

3.- Of course, your choice is decisive and should not entirely be based on yesterday‘s priorities or on the apparently important things of today. Use the power of your subconsciousness and use your intuition. If your intuition happens to be off duty today ;-) ask yourself some of these helping questions:

• Does this really have to be done?
• And if yes, does it have to be right now?
• What would happen if I didn‘t do it now?
• Do I personally have to do this or can I delegate it somehow?
• What exactly is my ambition?
• Does that what I am about to do help to get to/reach my target?

4.- Ok, now that you have chosen one, stick to it, do it and don‘t lose track of it. If you have problems staying focused, read my next article on simple concentration techniques.

5.- That implies to actively reject absolutely anything else for the time being! You have to remember this: focus means concentration, condensation and reduction of choices. Practise contentment and concentration, focus on one aim and everything will be all right.

I can hear you already: "for a certain time"... how long exactly is a certain time? I don‘t live in a monastery, I have to get done a thousand things!. I can understand your anger - but please give me time till one of my next articles!

However, until then I recommend a simple but essential test: analyse your current situation and compare it to your target-picture.We should do this often and regularly and especially when we don‘t know any more how close we have come to the realisation of our goals - or when we have forgotten parts of our objectives and accordingly, as a matter of fact, have lost most of the vigour and our daily focus.
You're still not there, then keep on!
Have you finally arrived at last? Check it off and immediately set the next goal!

And once again: all this does not only go for your yoga practice (e.g. 2 asanas daily / 30 minutes meditation / concentration - practice / whatever) but for everything you are aiming for- from staying calm and composed in the course of the day to exercise more or eating less sweets... your objectives are only stages on your way, they are to be reached in this live and should not remain idealised dreams.

Technorati Tags: goal, hints

Concrete!

Ok, "daily" is now clear yet it has not become any easier to do… how do you do it?

How do I do it? How do I put my daily yoga programme together?

First of all, I take into consideration everything that is important in yoga:

• Asana
• Pranayama
• Dharana
• Dhyana

For the definite selection of the yoga techniques I also have to considert my current situation which is constantly changing and determined by my wishes, needs and distracting factors - so that I have to adapt my programme continuously.

More specifically :-), this is what my current, daily wish-programme looks like:

• Surya Namaskara
• Uddiyana Banda und Nauli Kriya
• Asana
• Pranayama
• Trataka
• Meditation

Why do I call it wish-programme?

Because I have not entirely succeeded in doing the whole programme on a consistant daily basis. For this reason this programme represents the target I am aiming at. Every time I have reached my target I will extend or change it.

Why choose this composition or mix? Asana, Pranayama and meditation are the pillars of every yoga practice. But what about the other three?

• Surya Namaskara: Because it is a self-contained complete programme implying asanas, pranayama, synchronisation of breath and movement, mantra meditation and concentration on the chakras - see the book of Swami Satyananda Saraswati on this subject.

• Uddiyana Bhanda and Nauli Kriya: As these are two techniques massaging and energizing all inner organs (not to speak of the effect on manipura chakra and the elevation and refinement of the energy). For this reason they influence the whole body deeply and make sure that all my body processes function properly.

• Trataka: Because it is a highly effective concentration and visualization technique - and therefore very useful for the achievement of my targets. Further on I will give more tips on that.

Technorati Tags: Nauli Kriya, Surya Namaskara, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Trataka, Uddiyana Bandha

David’s Anatomy ;-)

Today I want to recommend the book: The anatomy of Hatha Yoga by H. David Coulter, which I’ve already mentioned in my latest article (the fact that I mention an anatomy book as the first book in my yoga blog speaks volumes ;-)

Coulter, lecturer of anatomy, has been working on this book for 25 years.

He is not only an expert in anatomy but also a yoga practitioner. In my opinion he knows more than anybody else about the effects of yoga on our bodies and gives a detailed and understandable explanation about it in his book.

His book explains a lot of things we experience in our yoga practice without being aware of it (e.g. Why is it easier to meditate in a slightly elevated position?)

Two more little exemples:

a) Knowing about the myotatic reflex you understand better why you are supposed to do all movements in yoga very slowly.

b) In his explanations about the Golgi system (dictyosom) he illustrates the positive effect of daily yoga practice on flexibility (I can see which way the wind blows ;-)).

Conclusion: a wonderful book, not only for yogis but for every one who wants to understand the impacts and effects of yoga on our body.

Each and everyday? Nothing less than that!

In my previous article I stated that daily practice is essential.

Do you really mean "daily"? Every single day? You are kidding, aren’t you? Sometimes you just don’t feel like doing yoga… or you have something better to do!

Yes, I am really serious about it :-) every day – no excuse, no exception!

Is this actually realistic? Is it even possible to do something on a daily basis for a lifetime?

Yes, I think so! Because we do a lot of things every day: eating, drinking, washing (about dental hygiene we’ve talked already :-)… why can yoga not be one of these things?! Why do we never ask ourselves, do I really have to eat today again?! That’s torture – maybe I don’t fancy eating today! but at the same time question our yoga practice again and again? That was subject of my previous article.

Is it possible that only you are so extreme?

I honestly don’t think so.

Swami Shivananda Saraswati said once that he did not even want to miss a single day of his yoga practice due to the profound physical and psychical effects on him.

And H. David Coulter explains in his unique book Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga, why this makes sense even from the anatomical point of view – more on this in my next article.

In addition I know several other absolutely normal people who have been doing yoga on a daily basis for years.

Uncountable factors can be the reason for an imbalance: daily stress, exhaustion, constant information overflow, inattentive and inadequate diet, environmental toxins, not enough exercise and so on. The second thermodynamic principle - entropy increases in every system – is also true for our life… and eventually, sooner or later, when our body gets completely out of balance and we die, entropy will win this match.

Therefore: every attempt to counterbalance this chaos tendency by doing yoga eases the pain, heals wounds and restores - magically! - the order and brings us peace, room and time.

What exactly my daily yoga practice looks like is another question. It depends on long-term goals and is constantly adapted to current and urgent needs – no room for boredom here ;-). The main thing is: daily!

Thus follow the example of the turtle in Achill’s tale: take one step every day, no matter how small or slow, and you will cope with even the greatest challenges in your life. Each little daily step makes sure you realise that you are still alive, that you do something for your life and that you don’t - never ever – give up. This will give you physical and psychic strength: you confirm every day anew that you can, that you want and that you know how to and that you act accordingly. Base your yoga practice on this foundation and you will move forward with assurance: each day anew, each day more intensive.

Take your daily yoga practice like the elixir of Life – every single day!

Technorati Tags: daily, H. David Coulter, Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Yoga - what is that?!

C’mon, we all know what Yoga is, don’t we?!

Let’s get more precise: What’s Yoga? What exactly do I do when I’m saying I’m doing Yoga?

First of all I practice some postures (Asana), breath exercises (Pranayama), concentration (Dharana) and meditation (Dhyana).

I follow some rules in my diet, my thoughts, feelings, and attitudes.

So yes, Yoga means always (!) also these strange postures that we associate in our minds with Yoga. But Yoga goes way beyond that!

You’ll ask: Why are we doing something like that? What’s the purpose of Yoga?

The answer to this is the stuff for the next posting!